German words from Middle High German
799 German words with Middle High German in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
ab
It is inherited from Middle High German abe, inherited from Old High German aba, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ab, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ab (“away from, off”). The final vowel of the…
Abend
It is inherited from Middle High German ābent, inherited from Old High German āband, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ābanþ, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ēbanþs (“evening”). The same word is…
aber
It is inherited from Middle High German aber, inherited from Old High German avur, inherited from Proto-Germanic *aferą (“behind, later”). The Old High German forms in ⟨-ar⟩, such as afar, and those…
Abschnitt
It is inherited from Middle High German abesnit, the noun of abschneiden “to cut off”, formed from ab- and Schnitt “cut”. The verb is Middle High German abesnīden, Old High German abasnīdan. The…
acht
It is inherited from Middle High German aht, inherited from Old High German ahto, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ahtō, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ahtōu (“eight”). The number is found in…
ähnlich
It is inherited from Middle High German anelich (also enlich), inherited from Old High German *analīh, found only in derivatives such as analīhhī (“likeness”), beside anagilīh (“similar, equal”)…
all
It is inherited from Middle High German al, inherited from Old High German al, inherited from Proto-Germanic *allaz (“all, whole”). The same word is Old Saxon al, Old English eall, Old Norse allr…
allein
It is inherited from Middle High German alein, a fusion of al (“all, wholly”), used as an intensifier, with eine (“alone, only”), the numeral ein, which by itself already meant “alone”. In Old High…
allerdings
It is inherited from Middle High German allerdinge (“in all things, entirely”), written together from aller dinge, the genitive plural of al (“all”) and dinc (“thing”) used as an adverb. Old High…
allgemein
It is inherited from Middle High German algemeine (“all together, altogether”), beside Middle Low German algemêine and almêine. The word is from German all + gemein: the first part strengthens the…
als
It is inherited from Middle High German als, a weakened form of one syllable from alse, inherited from Old High German alsō (“just so”); the full form survives as also. The Old High German word is…
also
It is inherited from Middle High German alsō, from Old High German al (“entirely”) + sō (“so”), so that it first meant “entirely so, just so”. It continues Proto-West Germanic *allswā. The same…
alt
It is inherited from Middle High German alt, inherited from Old High German alt, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ald, inherited from Proto-Germanic *aldaz (“grown up, old”). The same word is Old…
Alter
It is inherited from Middle High German alter, inherited from Old High German altar, inherited from Proto-Germanic *aldrą (“life, lifetime, age”). The same word is Old Saxon aldar, Old English…
Amt
It is inherited from Middle High German ambahte, inherited from Old High German ambahti (“service, office”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *ambahtiją (“service”). The same word is Old Saxon ambaht…
an
It is inherited from Middle High German ane, inherited from Old High German ana, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ana. The same word is Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰 (ana), Old Norse á, Old English on, Old Frisian on…
anbieten
It is inherited from Middle High German anebieten, formed from German an- + bieten. The same formation is Old Saxon anbiodan, Middle Low German anbēden, Old English onbēodan and Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌱𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽…
ändern
It is inherited from Middle High German endern (also andern), formed from anderer. The same verb is Middle Low German anderen and Middle Dutch anderen. The Grimms' dictionary says that the verb is…
anders
It is inherited from Middle High German anders, inherited from Old High German anderes, originally the genitive singular neuter of the adjective anderer, used as an adverb. The same formation is Old…
Änderung
It is inherited from Middle High German anderunge, also enderunge, a noun formed from German ändern + -ung. The verb ändern is derived from the adjective ander “other”. That adjective goes back to…
Anfang
It is inherited from Middle High German anevanc, inherited from Old High German anafang, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *anafangi (“grasp, embrace”). The noun belongs to the verb anfangen, Old…
Angebot
It is an 18th-century alteration of Anbot, inherited from Middle High German anbot (14th century), a noun formed from anbieten (“to offer”). The form with ⟨ge-⟩ arose, Pfeifer suggests, under the…
Angriff
It is inherited from Middle High German anegrif, inherited from Old High German anagrif (“touch, embrace”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *anagripi (“seizure”), formed from an and the noun…
Angst
It is inherited from Middle High German angest, inherited from Old High German angust, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *angusti-. The word is limited to German, Dutch and Frisian: Middle Low…
Anlage
It is inherited from Middle High German anlāge, a noun formed from anliegen and anlegen. The verb is Old High German analeggen (“to put on, lay on”) (8th century), from legen, the causative of…
Anlass
It is inherited from Middle High German anlāz, also anelāz, which first named the place where a race is started, from an and the verb lassen “to let go”, as in loslassen. The verb is Old High German…
Ansicht
It is inherited from Middle High German anesiht, inherited from Old High German anasiht, a compound from Old High German ana (“on, at”) + siht (“sight”), parallel to the verb ansehen. The noun…
Anspruch
It is inherited from Middle High German anspruch (“accusation, objection”), formed from ansprechen, Middle High German anesprechen, Old High German anasprehhan, like Spruch from the simple verb. The…
Anteil
It is inherited from Middle High German anteil, formed from Middle High German ane + teil, beside Middle Low German andêil. Teil is Old High German teil, from Proto-Germanic *dailiz (“part”), also…
Antrag
It is inherited from Middle High German antrac (“plot, scheme”), a back-formation from the verb anetragen (“to bring up; to instigate”), from ane (“on, at”) and tragen (“to carry”). Kluge treats it…
antreten
It is inherited from Middle High German anetreten (“to begin; fall due”), a compound of the particle an and the verb meaning “to tread”. That verb is Old High German tretan, from Proto-West Germanic…
Antwort
It is inherited from Middle High German antwürte, inherited from Old High German antwurti, inherited from Proto-Germanic *andawurdiją (“answer, counter-word”). It is a collective formation from the…
April
It is inherited from Middle High German aberelle, inherited from Old High German abrello, borrowed from Latin Aprīlis (“April”). The borrowing replaced the native Old High German ōstarmānōd (“Easter…
Arbeit
It is inherited from Middle High German arebeit, inherited from Old High German arabeit, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *arbaiþi, inherited from Proto-Germanic *arbaidiz (“toil, hardship”). The…
arbeiten
It is inherited from Middle High German arbeiten, inherited from Old High German arbeiten, inherited from Proto-Germanic *arbaidijaną, a verb formed from the noun Arbeit. The same verb is Gothic…
Art
It is inherited from Middle High German art (“descent; innate nature; manner”), first recorded in the 12th century, beside Middle Low German art. Kluge notes that the word may be inherited, but that…
Artikel
It is inherited from Middle High German artikel, borrowed from Latin articulus (“small joint; section”), a diminutive of artus (“joint, limb”). Kluge and Pfeifer describe several borrowings of the…
Arzt
It is inherited from Middle High German arzât, inherited from Old High German arzāt, borrowed from Medieval Latin archiater (“chief physician”), borrowed in pre-literary times. Pfeifer gives the…
auch
It is inherited from Middle High German ouch, inherited from Old High German ouh, inherited from Proto-Germanic *auk. The same particle is Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐌺 (auk, “for, but, also”), Old Norse auk, Old…
auf
It is inherited from Middle High German ūf, inherited from Old High German ūf, inherited from Proto-Germanic *upp. The same word is Old Saxon up, Old English up, Old Frisian up and Old Norse upp…
Aufgabe
It is inherited from Middle High German ūfgābe, the noun of ūfgëben, modern aufgeben. Middle Low German has upgāve. The verb is formed from auf and geben, which is Old High German geban, from…
aufnehmen
It is inherited from Middle High German ūfnëmen, formed from German auf- + nehmen. Wiktionary reconstructs Old High German *ūfnëman and Proto-West Germanic *uppneman before it; the same formation is…
Auftritt
It is inherited from Middle High German ūftrit (“height, length”), a noun formed from auftreten (Middle High German ūftreten (“to rise, step up”)), that is auf and treten. The Grimms compare Danish…
Auge
It is inherited from Middle High German ouge, inherited from Old High German ouga, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *augā, inherited from Proto-Germanic *augô (“eye”). The same word is Gothic 𐌰𐌿𐌲𐍉…
aus
It is inherited from Middle High German ūz, inherited from Old High German ūz, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ūt, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ūt (“out”). The same word is Gothic 𐌿𐍄 (ut), Old…
Ausgabe
It is inherited from Middle High German ūzgābe, a noun formed to the verb ausgeben, from aus and geben. The verb is Middle High German ūzgeben, Old High German ūzgeban. The same formation is Dutch…
Aussage
It is a noun formed on the verb aussagen “to state, testify”, which is inherited from Middle High German ūʒsagen (“to pronounce, recite”) (late Middle High German), from ūʒ (“out”) and sagen (“to…
außer
It is inherited from Middle High German ūzer, inherited from Old High German ūzar, inherited from Proto-Germanic *ūtar (“outside, out of”). The same word is Old Saxon ūtar, Old Norse útar, Old…
äußern
It is inherited from Middle High German ūȥern (“to give out of one's hands, (reflexive) to renounce”), a verb formed from Middle High German ūȥer (“outside; outer”), the source of außer and äußere…
Bad
It is inherited from Middle High German bat, inherited from Old High German bad, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *baþ, inherited from Proto-Germanic *baþą (“bath”). The same word is Old Saxon…
Bahn
It is inherited from Middle High German ban(e) (“path, way”), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *banu, inherited from Proto-Germanic *banō. The same word is Middle Low German bāne and Middle Dutch…
bald
It is inherited from Middle High German balde, inherited from Old High German baldo, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *balþ, inherited from Proto-Germanic *balþaz (“bold, strong”): an adverb of…
Ball
1. The round object is inherited from Middle High German bal, inherited from Old High German bal, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *ballu, inherited from Proto-Germanic *balluz. The same word is…
Bau
It is inherited from Middle High German bū, inherited from Old High German bū (“dwelling”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *būą (“building, dwelling”). The same noun is Old Saxon bū, Old English bū…
bauen
It is inherited from Middle High German būwen, inherited from Old High German būan (also būwan), inherited from Proto-West Germanic *būan, inherited from Proto-Germanic *būaną (“to dwell”). The same…
Bauer
1. The birdcage is inherited from Middle High German būr, inherited from Old High German būr (“house, chamber”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *būrą (“dwelling, chamber”). The same word is Old Saxon…
Baum
It is inherited from Middle High German boum, inherited from Old High German boum, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *baum (“tree, beam”). It took the place of the old word for “tree” that survives…
bedeuten
It is inherited from Middle High German bediuten, inherited from Old High German bidiuten (“to express, signify”), formed from German be- + deuten. The same formation is Middle Low German bedǖden…
Bedeutung
It is inherited from Middle High German bediutunge (“interpretation”), formed from German bedeuten + -ung. That verb is Old High German bithiuten (“to mean, signify”) (11th century), Middle High…
befinden
It is inherited from Middle High German bevinden, inherited from Old High German bifindan, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *bifinþan, a prefixed form from German be- + finden. The same verb is…